Authorised Economic Operator status granted to 13 new Tunisian companies

Tunis: The status of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) has been granted, Friday, to 13 new Tunisian companies, bringing the total number of companies enjoying this status to 165, said official in charge of supervision at the Directorate General of Customs Mongi Bellara. Speaking at an information day held on Friday in Tunis, he explained that these companies (fully exporting, industrial, start-up and international trade) operate in various sectors. The AEO is actually a status granted to any company established in Tunisia, carrying out an activity related to foreign trade, having the confidence of the customs administration and meeting the required conditions. Companies with AEO status will enjoy streamlined customs clearance procedures (DAE, dispatch notes, etc.) and new privileges related to technical inspection procedures for imports and exports, he underlined. Bellara also pointed out that this measure is in line with the Customs Department's policy of encouraging investors, offering facilities and s treamlining customs procedures. The goal is to help reboot the national economy and consolidate the competitiveness of Tunisian companies. Vice-President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) Hamadi Kooli said that the number of companies with AEO status since 2010 "is still low," accounting for only 3% of the total number of Tunisian companies. "Our ambitions are to achieve a membership rate of about 10% of the total number of Tunisian companies and to increase export sales," he indicated. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse